Trapped like a caged animal, I couldn’t
relax. With nothing left, I returned to faith. It was all we ever really have. It was all I had now. The first words of the
Credo ran through my mind:Family is formed through sharing,

Of lives, of love, of blood.The soft breathing
of several dozen sleeping souls around me, lulling me as well, but not yet. If I did not remember now, I might never. The
memories the sounds bring ... so much like the infrequent breezes in the city.

Anyone with doubts as to whether they could
tolerate us is asked to leave the areas we move into. If they leave us alone, we will leave them alone. If they interfere,
they will be driven out. We are kinder and gentler than the competition. Our competition forces everyone not of their own
kind to leave immediately.

Our patrols to keep marauding gangs out,
fighting over the better areas to salvage and hunt in - Our lives were the credo. We had our difficulties in life:All of those
here share their lives,

The joys, the pains, the losses, the gains.We
were raising potted plants in windows and open areas, growing mushrooms in dark basements, setting traps to catch feral animals,
killing the sick ones, using the healthy ones; we weren’t bothering anyone. We were our own community.Through sharing
we create a community with shared memories

And the many ties that bind us togetherWe
didn’t forget our friends, the associations with men who died not long after joining, accepting both the births and
deaths, celebrating adulthood initiations of those who have come of age -Bonds of kinship, friendship, adoption,

As teachers, students, associates, comrades
at arms

These are the ties that bind usOur lives
were flexible, changing, fluid. One could go from living alone to living together, able to come back at any time to any shared
home, as long as they were at the meeting every month and the Sharing -But the Sharing transcends them all

The
Sharing was higher than anything else. It set us apart, together. Watching the children born among us playing in the street,
knowing that the rest of the population is dwindling, that we are still living, and watching the child of my heart, though
not by birth, playing with her friends -Take each other’s handWe knew of the threats from Outside.
We knew this area was forbidden, off limits by those who wanted to control the old cities for the resources trapped there
but didn’t dare live there. Others were unable to live very long here even as we took root and grew. We were feared.

The fears lead to the raid against us. Gangs
could be overlooked, for they traded what was wanted by those unwilling to tread the dead places. We did not trade with them,
for we did not care about anything except life and all but us were dead or soon to be. Now, a moment of silenceThe
yells and screams, people running for weapons and or cover as the raid came. Men with guns who hated us had come. I remember
picking up the little girl and running -This creates a new bond, one of blood, between us allI turned a corner only to run straight into several sentinels, helmets reflecting the flickering lights, shielding
my precious burden though there was no way out -It marks us, let's us know our kind from othersThey shoot. She's torn from my arms as the tranquilizer dart takes effect, the guards grimacing
or sick or righteous wrath, I'm helpless to do anything but remember. They want the children to raise there way, but they
have given up on the adults. Their way is dying, ours is life, so they chose to kills us in hopes of continuing their lives
through our blood. But they cannot break who we are, our way of life -It can never be broken They interrupted our Sharing,
as it was done with every full moon. They came at only time when we all are together, adults and children, every one in one
place -It can never be undoneA sentinel is holding my little one, cursing, wiping at her lips, aghast that
we let all, even the smallest, Share -The ritual itself is ancient,

But we make in new each time it is performedAll
of us are here. What are they going to do with us? Blood is the highest bond

It is the essence of life.

Let it nourish you and sustain you as it
flows through youWe only killed those who would kill us first. They lived long enough to learn about us. From that moment,
their lives sustained ours. Minerals, protein, and essence brought life to those in the Sharing, just as the strength of all
life was shared until death.Touch it to your lips And pass the goblet on

What was that smell? Gas! The others were
still sleeping. The few others awake realized it, accepted, breathed deeply to quickly join the others around them. The sentinels
are fools. We found a way of life that sustained life. If they kill us, more will only take our place. Means of survival will
survive and be learned by others. And the children will still remember.

As we passed from one form of night to another, the last line of the refrain
was remembered …And go now into the night, In peace

Copyright Tamara Wilhite 2005

If you liked Tamara Wilhite’s stories “Through Sharing, Life” and “A Human Race Against
Time”, read 13 more tales in her upcoming book. “Humanity’s Edge” will be available through amazon.com
this December.